Apple Acquired NextVR

Apple Inc. confirmed to Bloomberg that it has acquired NextVR. Bloomberg reported that NextVR is a Newport Beach, California, startup.

9to5Mac reported that NextVR provides VR experiences with headsets from PlayStation, Oculus, HTC, Microsoft, and Lenovo headsets. It also holds patented technology that that it uses to support high quality video streams of music and sporting events to VR headsets. According to 9to5Mac, NextVR holds over 40 technology patents in total.

Since the news of the acquisition, NextVR posted this message on its website:

NextVR is Heading in a New Direction

Thank you to our partners and fans around the world for the role you played in building this awesome platform for sports, music and entertainment experiences in Virtual Reality.

This makes me wonder how long the companies who make those VR headsets can continue to obtain experiences from NextVR, now that it has been acquired by Apple. Right now, it is unclear what will happen to NextVR’s partnerships with the NBA, Fox Sports, Wimbledon and other live music and sporting events.

Will Apple keep those connections intact, or cut them? My best guess is the answer to that question depends on whatever Apple’s plans are for NextVR.